Prior cable tie installation tools have utilized the application of pressurized air to convey individual cable ties to a hand manipulated application tool for application to a bundle of wires. These prior tools utilize mechanisms that provide individual cable ties from a remote dispenser having a cartridge or reel containing a large number of cable ties to a conveyance mechanism for provision to an application tool. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,976,108 and 4,498,506 owned by common assignee, Panduit Corp. These remote dispenser tools are very desirable and have been highly successful for situations where maximum volume and speed of application is needed but in situations where lesser application speeds are acceptable the increased complexity and cost associated with providing a specialized dispenser to dispense a single cable tie from a large number of cable ties limits the usefulness of the remote dispenser tools.
In order to address the needs of the industry for a simpler, less expensive automatic cable tie installation tool, Panduit Corp. has manufactured a hand tool member similar to the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,108, but specially modified by adding a window in the left, rear side of the tool that allows an operator to grasp the tool with his right hand and insert a single tie with his left hand into a revolving shuttle mechanism disposed within the tool. Upon sequenced application of pressurized air to a spring loaded piston connected to the shuttle, the shuttle rotates to correctly position the cable tie for subsequent propulsion through the tool's cable tie conveyance tube. The piston driven revolving shuttle mechanism of this tool member was undesirably complex, having many interacting parts that increased the cost of manufacture and maintenance of the tool. This tool was also prone to jam due to the many moving parts of the cable tie shuttle mechanism, a cable tie jammed within the tie loading mechanism requiring costly and time consuming disassembly of the tool since the tie loading mechanism was an integral part of the tool.